"He'll make Villa sweat...": Ashley Preece drops AVFC summer claim, Lange must act now - opinion

Journalist Ashley Preece has provided his thoughts on the future of Aston Villa youngster Carney Chukwuemeka amid reports that the teenager is attracting significant transfer interest.

Speaking in a Q & A for Birmingham Mail, the Villa correspondent hinted that the 18-year-old will be in no rush to commit his future to the club just yet, despite having just one year remaining on his existing contract.

Asked whether the Austria-born ace will sign a new deal, Preece stated: “As for Carney, if you’re asking me, he’ll make Villa sweat for a bit longer. A real chance he could be the player of the European Championships with the semis vs Italy. Clubs watching him.”

This follows reports which suggested the playmaker is been monitored by a number of clubs across Europe, including Villa’s Premier League rivals Liverpool and Arsenal.

However, Steven Gerrard has previously confirmed his desire to keep the academy graduate at the club for the long-term, following his recent taste of senior action.

While Villa won’t want to be held ransom by the youngster over a new deal, then Johan Lange and co must surely be aware that they could well be set to lose the £5.4m-rated gem if they do not act this summer.

Failure to do so would put them at risk of losing Chukwuemeka for ‘nothing’ next summer – albeit with a compensation fee likely to be required – or see them forced to cash in in the current transfer window in order to recoup funds.

Although the £2.4k-per-week talent has not become a fixed first-team as of yet – making just 12 top-flight starts last season – he has already shown glimpses of his talent, with Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson lavishing him with praise following his first league start against Brentford last August.

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